How to Invoice Personal Training Clients (Without the Faff)

To invoice a PT client, send one document showing your name, the client's name, the date, the sessions, the total, how to pay, and a due date. The fast way: software that builds and sends it in two taps and shows you who's paid — so you stop chasing £40 over WhatsApp at 9pm. Here's exactly what goes on it, and how to get paid faster.

Most PTs don't lose money by charging too little. They lose it because invoicing is annoying — so they put it off, forget the odd one, and never chase the late payers. Fix the admin, keep the money.

What goes on a PT invoice

Keep it simple. A clear invoice shows:

• Your details — your name (or business name) and contact details. As a sole trader, your own name is fine.
• The client's name.
• An invoice number — just count up: 001, 002, 003.
• The date you sent it.
• A line for what they're paying for — e.g. "Personal training — 8 sessions, June."
• The total due.
• How to pay — your bank details, or a "Pay now" link.
• A due date — e.g. "Payment due within 7 days."

That's the lot. No template gymnastics needed. If you're VAT registered you add your VAT number and the VAT amount — but most self-employed PTs aren't, because you only register for VAT once your sales pass £90,000 in a rolling 12 months.

Three ways to send invoices

1. By hand — free, slow. Write it in a Word doc or a free template, save as PDF, email it. It works, but you're doing it from scratch every time and tracking who's paid in your head.

2. Accounting software — great for tax, not built for PTs. QuickBooks or FreeAgent handle invoices and your tax return. Brilliant for the books, but your clients still live in another app, so you're double-entering names.

3. PT software — fastest. You raise the invoice against a client who's already in the system, send it in two taps, and the app tells you who's paid and who's 7 days late. No spreadsheet. No retyping.

How to get paid faster

• Invoice the second a block ends — or charge upfront for the next block. Don't let it drift.
• Set a 7-day due date. "Due in 7 days" gets paid faster than "due in 30."
• Make paying one tap. A clickable pay link beats "here are my bank details" every time.
• Sell 8-session blocks, not single sessions. One invoice instead of eight chases.
• Let the software chase late payers so you're not the bad guy texting "any update on that payment?"

The faff-free way

CoachDesk raises an invoice against a client you already have in two taps, and shows you exactly who's paid and who's overdue — so invoicing stops being the job you dread on a Sunday night. It's on the £19 plan.

Try CoachDesk free for 14 days, no card, and send your first invoice in under a minute.